If this decanter were a person, it would walk into a room and everyone would stop talking. Cobalt blue hand-blown glass from Empoli, Tuscany — the Italian glassmaking town that spent the 1950s and 60s producing some of the most dramatic decorative glass ever made — in a tall, elegant form with a spherical body, a long swan-neck, and a trefoil spout that tips ever so slightly to one side. Not a flaw. Proof that a human being made this by hand.
The gold decoration is applied in a bold sunburst pattern across the shoulder and a fine line around the foot rim — both showing honest wear consistent with sixty years of admiration. The original twisted flame stopper is present and fits perfectly, its spiralling form echoing the drama of the piece.
At 42cm tall, this is a statement piece. Put it on a shelf, fill it with water and watch the light do the rest, or use it as the world's most glamorous flower vase.
Origin: Empoli, Tuscany, Italy
Material: hand-blown cobalt blue glass with gold decoration
Period: c.1960s
Dimensions: 42 x 11 cm
Weight: 717 grams
Includes: original twisted flame glass stopper
Condition: vintage; gold decoration with wear; mouth very slightly asymmetric — characteristic of hand-blown glass
WARNING: Place this on any surface and it immediately becomes the most interesting thing in the room. Maison de L'oro accepts no responsibility for any subsequent obsession with Italian art glass, spontaneous trips to Tuscany, or the sudden urge to own every shade of cobalt blue ever produced.
